Barking Mad
by Bramblepool
Summary: Modern Day AU. After Alek's parents died, he thought he'd never be happy again. But then he met a strange girl on the metro, and everything changed. He made some interesting friends, reunited with his worst enemy, and best of all, he found love. Beautiful, wonderful, Scottish love.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**Hi, peoples! (Sort of) long time no see! So, I started writing this new modern day AU fanfiction a week or two ago, not really planning to post it, and then ChickWithThePurpleGuitar convinced me to post it. Therefore, if you dislike this, DON'T BLAME ME! **** (Aren't I a great friend?) On that note, no flames please. I try really hard to please you people, and it makes me extremely sad to see flames. As of now, this fic is eight chapters long, so there shall be more. The more you review the faster I'll update! I edited this like crazy, but constructive criticism is great. Thankses! Enjoy and PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW! *Puppy dog eyes***

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I didn't own **_**Leviathan **_**before and I probably never will. ALL RIGHTS TO SCOTT WESTERFELD!**

Metros and Meetings

It was lucky that Alek was so good with machines. If he wasn't, the ticket machine would have likely proved impossible. Ticket in hand, Alek stepped up to the gate, rubbing the last of his tears away.

Of course, he had been crying for a perfectly logical reason. Only ten minutes ago, one of his tutors, Mr. Volger, had finished informing him of his parent's death. Murdered the previous night in Sarajevo. They didn't deserve it. Not in any way, shape or form.

It may have been irrational, running off as he did, but he wasn't thinking clearly. He needed something other than the lonely halls of his home, empty in the absence of his parents, to roam through.

A train was arriving just as Alek entered the station, so he stepped on board, not particularly caring where it would take him.

Alek had never been on a train like this. It was different than the ones back in Austria. Slightly less hygienic, and most definitely not as fragrant. Seats in sets of two lined the walls facing towards the front of the train, and the large windows were dark, due to the fact that they were underground. Every few feet, a pole stretched from the ceiling to the floor and hand straps swung from the ceiling. **(A/N: Keep in mind, I have no clue as to what the Austrian metro system looks like, or if it even exists, and my memory of the London underground is foggy at best. This is based off of the Washington D.C metro system, which I have a much better memory of.) **All of the seats were full, so Alek stood across from a boy who looked about his age. He wore a pair of jeans, a black sweatshirt, and a pair of converse. His pale blonde hair was choppily just above his chin, and his dark blue eyes were staring blindly at the ground ahead of him. He had a pair of headphones in his ears and one of his arms was wrapped around a pole.

Alek shifted uncomfortably. Unlike Alek, this boy actually seemed to know what he was doing.

Suddenly, the train jolted beneath Alek, and he was sent stumbling forward. Someone saved him from falling face-first onto the ground by grabbing onto the back of his shirt. Alek righted himself, then grabbed onto a pole, wondering how he hadn't managed to predict the train's movement.

The person who had saved him was the boy he had seen before. "You all right? That was quite the spill."

The boy's voice was higher than usual, almost like…god's wounds. This was no_ boy, _it was a girl! On closer inspection, Alek wondered how he had ever been able to mistake this pretty young girl for a boy. Sure, he wasn't the most observant person in the world, but honestly, was he _this _stupid?

"Oh—um, _ja. _I—I mean yes. I'm fine." Now Alek was blushing like complete _dummkopf. _He had just made a fool of himself. And in front of a girl, even. Just wonderful.

The girl gave him a smile. "Brilliant." She held out a hand for him to shake. "Darren, by the way."

Alek frowned, confused, but shook Darren's hand anyway. Wasn't Darren supposed to be a boy's name?

Darren sighed. "D-E-R-Y-N. Scottish spelling. A girl's name."

Alek nodded in understanding. "I see. I'm Alek."

They fell into silence, Deryn fiddling with her iPod, Alek trying not to stare at her.

At the next stop, a few people left the train, and Deryn went to sit down in a seat. After a moment of thinking, Alek shyly indicated the seat next to her. "May I?"

Deryn slid over closer to the window. "Course."

Alek sat down next to Deryn, putting his elbows on his knees, his face in his hands. It had finally dawned on him. His parents were gone. Forever. He would never see them again. His last memory of them was rushed and faded. They had left almost a month ago, saying they would be back soon. Alek was used to his parents going on long business trips. After all, they _were _the ambassadors of Austria. Alek had even moved to London right after his parents left so that he could be closer to them.

Thinking about them, Alek felt a few hot tears seep out of his eyes. He angrily rubbed them away, not wishing to embarrass himself further by crying in front of Deryn.

Suddenly, Alek heard Deryn's lovely Scottish voice next to his ear. "Alek? Are you all right?"

Alek swallowed and lifted his head. "Yes, I'm fine."

Deryn carefully looked into his eyes. "Really? You don't look it."

Alek closed his eyes. "J—just a little bit upset."

Deryn watched him for a moment before sighing and wrapping her arm around his shoulders. Alek tried not to jump. Is this something that people in England _did? _

"Poor boy. What's wrong?"

Alek tried to suppress his tears. "It's—It's my parents. They died last night."

"Oh…what happened?"

Alek shook his head. "The details are unclear." And now, of course, he was crying properly, sobs shaking his body.

They probably looked crazy to the others on the train. Two teenagers, practically strangers, now hugging each other like long lost friends. Not that Alek particularly cared. It felt like his heart was falling apart into a thousand tiny pieces, and he needed someone. Not to mention the fact that Deryn's arm, warm across his shoulders, felt incredibly nice, and this was the first time that a girl (besides his mother of course) had ever touched him.

Eventually, the grief settled down in Alek's heart a bit and he shrugged off Deryn's arm, wiping his eyes off with his sleeve.

"Better now?"

Alek shrugged. "I suppose."

Deryn now sat quietly, shoulders hunched, staring at her hands folded in her lap. "My Da's gone too."

Alek blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Aye. It was a hot air balloon accident. Once he was gone, my Ma tried to turn me back into a proper girl. You know, skirts, hair, makeup, all that clart."

Alek chuckled quietly. He couldn't really see Deryn as the sort of girl who would care about such things.

"But, you see, it'll all get better. So, don't let them change you, or when it does get better, you'll regret the change."

"Really?"

Deryn smiled. "I promise."

Alek smiled too.

Roughly twenty minutes later, it was time for Deryn to leave the train. "Give me your hand," Deryn ordered, pulling a pen from her pocket.

Alek did as he was told and Deryn grabbed onto his hand, scribbling something onto his palm. Alek winced a tiny bit. He had always been against writing on skin, and if anyone else had been writing on him, he probably would have protested. But this was _Deryn,_ so Alek held his tongue.

Deryn dropped his hand, saying, "You can call me there." **(A/N: You have no idea how hard I had to think to give you something other than "Here's my number, so call me maybe." Gave myself a headache.)**

With that, she slid past Alek and was out the door of the train.

Alek stared in wonder at the number on his hand, subconsciously memorizing it. After a moment, he sighed. What had he gotten himself into?

**Well, that's all for now, folks. Thank me for the lack of pop-culture reference. And thank **_**you**_** for reading. It means about ten times more to me than you'd think. ****Auf Wiedersehen! AND REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

***Waves* Hi, everyone! First of all, thank you SO much for the reviews! They mean a ton to me. (Not to mention, this is the most reviews I've ever gotten on a single chapter…) Small, virtual, hypo-allergenic kittens and cookies for all of you! And second, here's chapter two! Yeah, sorry it's so short…but the next one's really long to make up for it! *Is very bad at chapter sizes* You meet Newkirk in this chapter, and I hope that I didn't mess him up too much. So, without further ado, here you go! I love you all, and once again, PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE REVIEW!**

**DISCLAIMER:**

**Still, not Scott and don't own **_**Leviathan. **_**If I ever do acquire rights to the series I'll be sure to let you all know right away.**

**Note from ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: I have no real thing to say here, I just wanted to make a note. For those of you who don't know, I'm CPG, I post Bram's stories for her cause I'm just awesome like that. So… yeah. Review this, and then go read my stories :)**

Friends and Phones

Deryn's cell phone rang, and she scrambled to answer it, her heart-rate sky-rocketing. "H—hello?"

After a moment of listening, Deryn slammed the "hang up" button, cursing under her breath. Barking advertisements.

Newkirk shot her a confused look from his chair. "What'd your phone do to you to deserve such treatment?"

Deryn glared at him, calling him a few choice names.

"_Now_, what's got your knickers in a twist?"

"_Nothing,"_ Deryn spat.

Newkirk raised an eyebrow. "When your phone rang, you acted like you were drowning and it was a life jacket. You're waiting for a call, aren't you?"

"No! And besides, it's none of your—"

"Who is it?" Newkirk asked. "Is it a _boy?"_

The look on Deryn's face must have been answer enough.

"Ooh, it _is!"_ Newkirk's grin was almost _maniacal _now! "Do I know him?"

Deryn sighed in defeat. "No."

"So, where'd you meet him?"

"Coming back from work on the metro."

"So, you were standing there looking all girly and hot and stuff, and he ran over and started making out with you?"

Deryn felt her face heat up. "SHUT UP!" She screamed, leaping to her feet, grabbing a pillow to beat the clart out of him.

Newkirk cackled. "You're blushing!"

Deryn screamed a few curses at him, yanking him off his chair, beating his face with the pillow. "STOP IT!"

They both froze when Deryn's phone started ringing. They simultaneously dived for it, and while Newkirk grabbed it first, Deryn managed to snatch it away from him, leaping to her feet. Fending off Newkirk's vicious attempts to take her phone, she answered the call. "Hello?"

Alek's voice, sounding nervous, replied, _"Um, hello. This is Alek. Is Deryn there?"_

Newkirk gave up trying to steal her phone, now pressing his ear against the other side of it, listening in on her conversation.

"Aye, it's me."

"_Oh, hello, Deryn."_

Newkirk suddenly snatched her phone, talking quickly. "Hey, Alek. Just so you know, Deryn—"

Deryn tackled him to the ground again, wrenching it from his grasp. "Sorry. Friend stole my phone."

After a long pause, Alek began speaking again. _"I was just wondering if you wanted to maybe um, get some coffee tomorrow—that—that is if you would like to, or have the time."_

Deryn smiled. "Of course! What time?"

"Ooh! Did he ask you out?"

Deryn shut him up rather quickly by stuffing the pillow into his mouth.

"_Um, what time would you be available?"_

Deryn thought about it for a moment. Even if she _had _had something going on the next day, she would cancel any previous engagements, if it meant that she could be with Alek. "One in the afternoon would be good for me."

"_O—okay. One. That sounds good. Where would you like to meet?"_

Deryn frowned. Blisters, his voice was shaking! Was he really this nervous to be talking to her? "Union Station?"

"_Okay. One, at Union Station."_

"Aye."

"_Oh, well I—um, guess I'll see you then."_

"Bye," Deryn said then hung up. She got to her feet, unconsciously grinning like a loon. She caught herself and frowned a little. She would _not _turn into some daft mooning lassie just because a boy that she _might_ like had asked her out!

"So," Newkirk said, a smirk on his face. "Are you officially dating?"

Deryn rolled her eyes. "Oh, leave off. We're just friends."

"Oh, suuuuuuuuure," Newkirk said sarcastically. "I bet that you'll be saying that until the wedding."

"Shut up already, daftie."

**TA-DA! Short, as I said, but the more you review the faster I'll try to update. **_**Danke schon**_** for reading and farewell my friends!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Good day people! I BROUGHT YOU ANOTHER CHAPTER! Thanks a ton reviewers, especially **_**Dontlookatme, nenya61192, xodiac 451, Foreverblossoming, Barking Lizards, Stopthattimerave, Julia456, jibblitmuffins3675, tscarfe, Rose Fowl, Sherlock EMG, Smart Girl, **_**and random guest! (Wow, that's a lot of reviewers!) Receiving reviews brightens up my day considerably. This one's quite a bit longer than the last, so I hope you enjoy it! **** Tell me if you find any mistakes or stuff like that, thank you for reading and PLEASE, IF YOU READ, REVIEW! (Oh, and, *hands out kittens and cookies*)**

**Disclaimer:**

**I DO NOT OWN **_**LEVIATHAN! **_**If you think I do, then you are thoroughly WRONG! If you're still convinced that I do, go talk to Mr. Westerfeld!**

Clothing and Coffee

Deryn sighed and looked over her clothing choices again. She wanted to wear something girly enough for Alek not to mistaken her for a boy again. It happened all the time, but for some reason, having Alek think she was a boy stung a little.

But still, she didn't want him to think that she was one of the girly-girls that she despised. Deryn sighed in defeat. She needed help. Deryn pulled out her phone, opened up a new text message and addressed it to Lilit.

_Can't figure out what to wear._

Lilit was an interesting one. Deryn had met her about a year ago on a family trip to Turkey and they had befriended each other. Every boy who set eyes on Lilit immediately fell in love with her, although Deryn had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't _boys _she liked.

_What's happening?_

_ I'm going out to get coffee with a friend, _Deryn texted back.

_What sort of friend?_

_He's a boy I met the other day._

_ YOU'RE GOING ON A DATE!?_

Deryn rolled her eyes. She could practically _hear _Lilit's gasp.

_Oh, calm down. It's not a proper date. Just going to talk._

_ Is he cute?_

Deryn bit her lip. Now, how was she supposed to answer that?

_Not really, no._

_ Deryn, you don't have to lie._

_ Oh, whatever. Now, what do I wear?_

_ I'm guessing that you want him to be able to tell that you're a girl?_

She hesitated to reply. If she said yes, what sort of get up would Lilit make her wear? But, she _did._

_Aye._

_ Send me a pic of some options._

Deryn did as she was told, wondering if _everyone _thought that she and Alek were a couple. (Not that Deryn didn't _wish_ that they were a couple, but people needed to be less barking _nosy!_)

_The black skirt,_ Lilit texted back quickly, _the black shirt and your pink jacket._

Deryn wrinkled her nose at all the pink, but didn't protest. Lilit had always had a much better sense of fashion than her.

_Thanks._

_ Tell me how it went when you get back!_

_ Whatever._

Deryn slipped on her jacket, and before leaving the house, yelled up the stairs, "MA! I'LL BE OUT WITH A FRIEND!"

"WHICH FRIEND?" Her Ma screamed back from the opposite side of the house.

"I MET HIM THE OTHER DAY!"

"THEN TAKE JASPERT WITH YOU!"

"_MA!" _Deryn was mortified. She would not have her _brother _tailing along, like she was some wee lassie, incapable of taking care of herself.

"I DON'T WANT TO GO WITH HER!" Jaspert yelled, joining the conversation.

"WELL, TOO BAD, JASPERT! I DON'T CARE HOW YOU FEEL!"

"_FINE!"_

Jaspert marched down the stairs. "LET'S GO, DERYN!"

Deryn sighed. "Jaspert I'm right here. Quit shouting."

"Oh, right," Jaspert said, blinking once.

Once they were safely on the train, Jaspert looked her from head to toe, whistling. "What's the special occasion?"

Deryn glared at him. "What d'you mean?"

"You're wearing a _skirt. _You never wear skirts. Especially ones that short."

Deryn fidgeted a little, self consciously tugging her skirt down lower. "It's not _that _short."

Jaspert just snorted, then raised a hand as if remembering something. "Oh, right! You're going out to meet a boy!"

Deryn sighed and gritted her teeth. "_We're just friends."_

Jaspert laughed and clapped her on the shoulder. "Aye, of course."

Deryn glared at him. "Stay away from us."

"Relax, I won't crash your date."

"It's still not a date, and you'd bloody well hope so."

Jaspert chuckled and stood, stretching his arms above his head. "Whatever you say." He jerked a thumb at the now-open train door. "Now, let's find this lad."

As soon as Deryn was out the door, she began looking around for Alek. At first, she didn't see him, but then she spotted him, standing just inside of the entrance, scanning the crowd nervously.

Deryn couldn't hold back a wee smile upon seeing him.

Jaspert leaned closer, pointing at Alek. "Is that him?"

Deryn nodded then raised an eyebrow. "Aye, but how'd you know?"

"You're making Bambi eyes at him."

Deryn rolled her eyes, swearing at Jaspert, before shoving through the crowds towards Alek. He saw her when she was a few yards away, and his eyes lit up, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Deryn was about to shout a greeting over the din of the crowd, when somehow, her feet tangled up, and she was falling forward…

_Right into Alek's arms._

Deryn felt her whole body tense as electricity suddenly crackled across her skin where he was touching her. She glanced up, and saw Alek's face only an inch from hers. Close enough to kiss if she—

Deryn mentally shook herself silly, calling herself a daft, girly ninny. She quickly pulled out of his arms, straightening up, trying (and probably failing) not to blush.

Deryn brushed herself off, avoiding Alek's eyes. "Oh, hey Alek! Um, thanks for that."

"It's fine," Alek said, sounding embarrassed as well. "Are you all right?"

"Aye. Fine, your princeliness."

Alek looked confused. "'Your Princeliness?'"

Deryn smiled. "You're barking _posh _enough to be a prince. That'll be your nickname."

"Hmm, that's the first nickname a friend has ever given me," Alek said thoughtfully.

"_Really?"_

Alek nodded. "You're my first friend too, I suppose."

"Blisters, Alek!" Deryn cried. "That's depressing!"

From behind her, Deryn heard Jaspert clear his throat from behind her. "Aren't you going to introduce me, Deryn?"

"Oh, aye." Deryn turned so she could see both of the boys. "Alek, this is Jaspert, my brother. Jaspert, this is Alek."

Alek held out his hand. "Good day. Nice to meet you."

Jaspert gave him an almost scary grin, grabbing his hand. "Aye, you too. But, just so you know, you even think about 'getting darwinist' with my little sister before you two are wed—"

Deryn shoved Jaspert aside before he could embarrass her any further, feeling disgusted. "Brilliant. You two know each other. Now, Jaspert, I think it's about time that you _leave us alone."_

"All right, I'll leave you two lovebirds to each other." Before Deryn could give him a good smack, Jaspert disappeared into the crowd.

Deryn muttered a few extra curses under her breath, turning back to Alek.

"What was all _that _about?"

Deryn shook her head. "You really don't want to know Alek."

Alek looked adorably confused. "All…right."

When Alek pulled out her chair for her, Deryn snorted. "No need to be so barking posh, your princeliness."

Alek shrugged. "I might as well. Plus, your hands are full."

Deryn rolled her eyes and set their drinks down on the table. Black coffee for Deryn and hot chocolate for Alek. "Well, thanks anyway."

Alek smiled and sat down across from her. _"Bitte." _

It was a lovely day out. The sun was shining, and there was a brisk breeze. A perfect day for a hopefully perfect first date. Well, not really a date, but if everybody was calling it that, she might as well too.

"Sooo…" Deryn said, staring into her coffee, trying to think of something to talk about.

Alek was giving her a peculiar look, staring blankly at her, eyes wide, not moving an inch. "Alek?"

When Alek just continued staring, Deryn waved a hand in front of his face. "Oi! Alek! Anything in the old attic?"

That seemed to snap him out of it. "Oh! Sorry, Deryn. I just got a little…distracted."

"Aye I could tell. What were you looking at?"

Alek hesitated to answer. "Well…Um, _you_, I suppose."

Deryn laughed, even though her heart was racing. He was staring at _her?_ Unbelievable. But why? Did he… did he think she was _pretty? _Or maybe she had something on her face! Yes. That was it.

Alek took a sip of his hot chocolate in order to hide his obvious embarrassment.

Deryn felt a cold wind blow across her, and almost as if accompanying it, a certain someone was standing behind Alek. "Hello, _Fitzroy," _she spat.

He sneered at her. "Afternoon, Sharp."

Alek turned around in his seat to look up at Fitzroy. "Oh, hello."

Fitzroy pulled a chair from another table, to sit at their table. (A table that Deryn had _carefully selected _so that there were only two chairs) "Wow, never thought you'd find yourself a boyfriend."

"_He's not my boyfriend," _Deryn growled. "Now, what do you want?"

Fitzroy made a 'tsk'ing noise. "Now, now. Is that any way to talk to your old friend?"

Deryn gritted her teeth. It was true, in grade school, they had been friends. But then, going into middle school, something turned Fitzroy into a sodding jerk, and Deryn had found new friends. And now, she hated him. With a passion. "Let me say that again, _what do you want?"_

"I just saw you two over here and figured I'd come over to chat."

Deryn sighed angrily. "Fine. Alek, This is Fitzroy. Fitzroy, this is Alek. Lovely to see you both. Now, go away, Fitzroy."

"Oh, quit trying to get rid of me, Der," Fitzroy said, rolling his eyes.

_"Don't _call me that."

Fitzroy punched Deryn's shoulder. "Why not? Back when we were little, that's what I always called you!"

"Like you said, that was when we were little, _Fitzy_. When we were friends."

Fitzroy gave her an over-dramatic confused look. "_What? _We aren't friends? Since when?"

"Since you turned into a sodding jerk!"

"Oh _I _turned into a jerk? Take a look at yourself, why don't you?"

Deryn leapt to her feet, her chair clattering to the ground behind her.

"Deryn," Alek said warningly.

Ignoring Alek, Deryn hissed, "Yes, it was you who turned into a jerk."

Fitzroy, disregarded her previous comment, got to his feet also. "Oh, I forgot. You wouldn't _want _to look at your own ugly face!"

At one time, insults on her appearance might have hurt, but over the years they had lost their sting. "Ooh, I'm so insulted. D'you think I really care?"

"You _obviously_ don't. No girl who cared about what she looked like would be stupid enough to wear _boy clothes."_

Deryn laughed. "Oh, aye. _I'm _the stupid one."

Fitzroy smiled cruelly. "That you are. I wonder if you got this stupidity from your father. Yes, that's it. You know, my father's always talking about how dumb yours was. Lucky he's dead already."

It felt like someone hit her in the stomach with a rubber mallet. Deryn tried to think of a comeback, but her mind was blank.

Fitzroy sneered at her and waved. "Bye bye, _Der."_

Once he was gone, Deryn fell to her knees. The pain of losing her da felt as raw as when it first happened, like a scratched-open scab.

"Deryn?" Alek asked after a moment. "Are you all right?"

Deryn took a moment to compose herself, before getting to her feet. "Aye, fine."

Alek gave her a concerned look. "Are you sure?"

Deryn pulled her chair back up and sat down heavily. "Barking bum-rag upset me a wee bit, is all."

Alek looked up at her shyly. "Um…If it helps, I…" He said the next part quietly, his face turning red. "I think you're pretty."

The giddy feeling returned and Deryn smiled. "Thanks, but that's not exactly it."

Alek didn't meet her eyes. "Oh, um, you're welcome. If you don't mind me asking, what _is _the matter?"

Deryn shut her eyes, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. "He…he said some things about my da."

Alek frowned. "I'm—I'm sorry. Can I—or do you…Are you okay?"

Deryn chuckled sadly, opening her eyes. "Look at me, turning all emotional. Don't pay me any mind."

Alek reached over the table and hesitantly took her hand. "Deryn, it's fine to be upset."

Deryn looked at their joined hands. "Aye. Whatever."

**End! (Of this chapter!) Thanks for reading, please review, and FAREWELL!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! I've got another chapter for you! Thank you SO much, all ye reviewers, especially, Sassysplash, Xodiac 541, nenya61192, Barking Lizards, Dontlookatme, Foreverblossoming, Sherlock EMG, CinnamonC, Rose Fowl, smurfette81013, jibblitmuffins3675, Smart Girl, and guest! (Well, I guess the "especially" doesn't really work, because that was everyone who reviewed…) And thanks to all who read but didn't review! I love you all, *hugs* so here's the next chapter. Constructive criticism is great. You'll meet the little OC I threw in there, and this is basically where the real plot begins! For the plot I give credit to my mother, who, when I was suffering from writers block, gave me a simple solution, which will be explained at the end. Please enjoy and REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer:**

**Goodness, I've already run out of ways to say that I don't own the series. I don't, Westerfeld does. There. That works.**

Emotions and Enemies

Alek sighed and hung up the phone, smiling.

He probably looked crazy, but for some reason, whenever he spoke to Deryn, he couldn't keep a grin from his face.

Alek had decided that something must be wrong with him. Almost every waking moment, Deryn occupied his thoughts. Sometimes, he would find himself staring at the picture of her that he had on his phone, captivated by her eyes. Alek flopped face-first down onto his bed, groaning exasperatedly.

If only his parents were still here to help him sort out his muddled feelings.

After a few minutes, Alek decided that if anything, he (to use Deryn's phrasing) fancied her. Whether or not she _returned _his feelings was an entirely different matter.

She probably didn't anyway, so she never needed to know about his little crush. Of course, that would be a lot easier, if Alek could quit saying idiotic things. Even a week later, Alek was still cursing himself for what he had said to Deryn. What was he _thinking? _ It was true, he thought she was pretty, beautiful even, but she didn't need to know that!

Alek heard the door bell ring. Something in his mind told him that it was Deryn, even though they weren't planning on meeting until later that day, and he was on his feet, racing at top speed towards the door. Once there, Alek took a moment to catch his breath and run a hand through his hair, in a useless attempt to neaten it, and then opened the door.

Instead of Deryn, as he'd hoped, someone who looked exactly like himself was standing on the other side of the door. The only difference was that he was wearing essentially the exact opposite of the simple plaid shirt and loose jeans that Alek was wearing. Alek promptly slammed the door in his face.

_Why was Alex here?_ Alex had always been awful to Alek. What made it even worse was the fact that they looked like identical twins, even though they were just cousins! And the whole name situation didn't exactly help.

Alex knocked on the door, saying in German, "Alek! Open up."

Alek crossed his arms, furrowing his brow, replying in the same language. "No!"

It was strange; lately he had been speaking in hardly anything but English, even though he was fluent in six different languages.

"Oh, come on, stop being such a baby!"

"I'm not being a baby! What do you want?"

"My father sent me to stay here! I've got nowhere else to go."

"Well," Alek said bitterly. "There's a nice little park down the street. I'm sure the local wildlife won't mind the company!"

Alex shoved the door open with little effort on his part, throwing Alek onto the ground. "Why, hello there, Alek."

Alek glared up at him, getting to his feet. "Alex."

"Nice to see you, cuz."

Alek didn't even bother trying to return the greeting. "Come on. There's a room upstairs."

Once Alex was settled in, Alek returned to his room, closing the door firmly behind him. He seated himself on his bed, then pulled up the picture of Deryn on his phone. In the picture, she was grinning, eyes sparkling, hair sticking up at all odd sorts of angles. As Alek stared into her eyes, he felt his annoyance dissolve.

Suddenly, Alek's phone was yanked from his grasp. He looked up to see Alex standing above him, Alek's phone in his hands. "Now, who's this girl?"

"Give it back!" Alek cried, reaching for it.

"Not likely! So, who is she?"

"If you give it back I'll tell you!"

Alex ignored him. "Well, she couldn't be your girlfriend, so you must just be stalking her."

"Am not!" Alek shouted, turning red.

Alex snorted. "She's _way _out of your league, _dummkopf."_

For a moment, Alek found himself wondering if that was true. "Be…be quiet!"

"Oh, you _do _like her!"

"I do not! How absurd!"

For another moment, Alex inspected the picture of Deryn. "I suppose she's cute enough. I'll have to ask her out later."

Deryn couldn't be treated like a _thing! _Alex couldn't really expect her to say yes…could he? "Leave her alone! She wouldn't even talk to the likes of you!"

"Don't know until you try!" Alex tossed Alek's phone back. "Be sure to let me know if you go out anytime soon!"

Alek gave Alex a good glare. "Did you really _have _to come along?"

Alex shrugged. "I did imply earlier that I would be coming along. And besides, your house is boring."

Alek glared at Alex for another good moment then turned to the crowded mall, searching for Deryn. She was supposed to have been there five minutes ago!

Suddenly, Deryn appeared behind Alex, grinning, her arms around his neck. "Hi!"

A twinge of jealousy awoke in Alek. Most likely, Deryn just thought that Alex was Alek, but even so, Alek wanted a hug! Alex raised an eyebrow. "Hello?"

Awkwardly, Alek cleared his throat. "Um, Deryn?"

She looked over at him, a confused expression on her face, then back at the back of Alex's head. She jumped away, cursing. "Blisters! W—what's going on?!"

With a sigh, Alek gestured to Alex. "Deryn, meet Alex, my cousin."

Alex waved at her, and Deryn frowned. "You look like twins!"

"Yes, I know."

Alex took Deryn's hand, kissing her fingers. "Hello, miss. I must say, it is absolutely wonderful to meet you."

Alek rolled his eyes. Generally, when he did this, the girl in question simply blushed and giggled, especially when he emphasized his German accent a small bit as he was doing currently. However, Alek didn't think that this would go over particularly well with Deryn.

And it didn't. Deryn raised an eyebrow, looking down at him. "Well, hi there."

"Dare I say, you look absolutely stunning—"

Alek cut him off by saying. "We best be going. Wouldn't want to miss the movie."

Alek gave him a dangerous glare and Deryn gave him a grateful little smile. "Aye, that sounds good."

Alek was very unhappy with the seating arrangement. Alex was sitting on the left side of Deryn, and Alek was on the right. Of course, Alek didn't particularly _want _to sit next to Alex, but he wanted him sitting next to Deryn even less.

Once the movie had begun, Alek watched Deryn's hand. It was sitting on the arm rest between them, close enough for him to hold. Alek took a deep breath, then slowly reached up for her hand, trying not to tremble. Hoping desperately that his palms weren't sweaty, Alek grabbed onto Deryn's hand.

She jumped a little, but then glanced over at him with a smile.

It seemed that Alex had been planning something too. Alek watched with wide, horrified eyes, as he slid his arm behind Deryn's back, his hand snaking around to rest on her stomach.

He couldn't quite see, but Alek was pretty sure that the look Deryn gave him could have turned steel into a thin sludge. Alex seemed to think better of his actions, and pulled his arm away, only to lay it across her shoulders, pulling her into him.

Deryn sat up straight, stiffly pulling his arm off of her. She gave Alek's hand a squeeze, leaning over against him.

Even though she was just doing it to get farther away from Alex, Alek tried to hide a wide grin.

Outside of the theater, Deryn stretched her arms out. "I suppose that was a good film. Seemed like the sort of thing Newkirk would like."

Alek nodded in agreement, although he hadn't really been paying much attention to it. He was far too focused on thinking about how close Deryn was to him and how wonderful her hair smelled. **((A/N: Creepy much?))**

"Although," said Deryn through gritted teeth, glaring at Alex out of the corner of her eye. "It seemed like _someone _didn't exactly understand the concept of personal space."

Alex smirked. "Yes, I apologize. Alek can be _quite _rude sometimes."

In a flash, Deryn had plucked him off the floor by the collar of his shirt, bringing his face only a few inches from hers, rage alight in her eyes. "Look, kid. I've just about had enough of you. Not interested means _not interested! _Take a barking hint why don't you, and stay _away_ from me, you little creep!"

Somehow, despite Deryn's fury, Alex maintained his smirk. "That might be a little difficult, dearie, seeing as you're holding me here."

Deryn threw him into the ground in disgust, kicking him once in the stomach for good measure. She then grabbed onto Alek's arm and dragged him away from Alex.

By the time they were seated side-by-side on a bench outside of the mall, Deryn's temper seemed to have cooled off a bit. She sighed and loosened her grip on his arm. "Alek, I hate your cousin."

"I agree completely." Alek sighed too. "At least he's not staying at your house."

Deryn winced. "Blisters, that sounds nasty! If you want, you could sleep over at my house, at least for tonight."

Alek looked at her, eyes wide with shock. B—but she was a _girl!_

Deryn rolled her eyes, presumably at his expression. "Relax. Newkirk sleeps over all the time. And, it's not like we'll be sharing a bed, daftie."

"A—are you sure that it would be all right with your family?"

"Course. You don't _have _to, if it makes you feel awkward."

Alek had been dreading spending the night with Alex all day! The thought of spending the night at Deryn's house was…much more appealing. "No! I—I mean, yes! Or—um—I would like to. If that's all right."

Deryn laughed. "I'll warn you now, Newkirk'll be there."

Alek smiled. "I think that'll be just fine."

**And there you have it! My mother's advice was to throw an evil twin in there, and I think it worked out quite nicely. Am I the only one who gets the best plot points from people who have no idea what's happening in the fic? Anywho, enough rambling. Please enjoy, the more reviews I get, the sooner I'll update, and ADIOS!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Aaaaaaand here we have chapter five! I have a story: the other night, I went to check how many reviews I had and lo and behold, FORTY-NINE BARKING REVIEWS! *end of flashback-story thing* THAT'S OVER TEN REVIEWS FOR EVERY CHAPTER! *Hugs all reviewers* (Who, to name them exactly, would be: SHERLOCK EMG, Sassysplash, WolfishMoon Smart Girl, Rose Fowl, Semraldo, jibblitmuffins3675, smurfette81013, froggraven, guest and other guest!) Your reviews brighten my day by about twelve-gazillion. Here is ze next chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

**Diiiiiiiisclaimer:**

**Like Yoda I speak, neither **_**Leviathan **_**nor Yoda do I own.**

Sleepovers and Storms

Alek smiled, humming a cheery tune as he packed his things for the night. Unfortunately, this happened to draw the attention of Alex. "Now, what do you think you're doing?"

Alek didn't even bother looking up. "Packing."

"What for?"

"I'm sleeping at Deryn's house tonight."

"Oh, are you now?"

"Yes."

Alex sighed as if he was making some great sacrifice. "I'll pack my things."

Alek glared at him. "I never said _you_ were invited."

"Yes, but I _should_. To prevent any funny business between you two. Wouldn't want Deryn pregnant at age fifteen."

Blushing more than ever before, Alek cried, "You're _disgusting!"_

Alex rolled onto his back, laughing.

"You sick minded _dummkopf!" _Alek spat, then stormed from the room, grabbing his bag on the way out. As if Alek would do _that!_

Alek stopped at the door of Mr. Volger's office. He took a steadying breath then knocked.

"Yes?"

Alek swallowed. Even after knowing the man for all of his life, Mr. Volger still scared the wits out of him. Alek timidly opened the door. "It's Alek."

"As I can see. What do you want, boy?"

"Um, would it be all right if I slept at Deryn's house tonight?"

The man inspected him from head to toe, then sighed. "It seems that you're already prepared. You can go."

He was about to thank the man, but Mr. Volger continued. "Alek, I'm trusting you."

"What do you—"

"I think we _both _know what I'm talking about. I don't want any children until you're married."

Alek stared at the man in slack-jawed horror. Jaspert, Alex, and now _Volger? _"WHAT!? _No! _I would never do something like that! Why would you even _think _of that!?"

Volger shrugged. "Things happen. Now, be gone."

Alek was too offended to say anything else, and simply backed out of the room, his face still bright red.

In front of the house was Alek's privately owned taxi, Mr. Klopp- his chauffeur- in the driver's seat. Alek slid into the back seat, and Mr. Klopp asked in German, "So, where am I taking you?"

Alek read him the address that Deryn had written on his hand.

"Who lives there?"

"My friend," Alek said. "I'll be sleeping at her house tonight."

Klopp whistled, sounding impressed. "Her? I suppose it was about time for you to have a girl."

Alek blushed again. "No! Not like _that! _We're only friends."

Klopp only laughed. "Right, young master. Of course."

Once they were off, Alek stared moodily out the window. _Disgusting! _All of them! Did they think that he was some drunk boy at a village dance?

And besides, despite his deepest wishes, they weren't a couple, nor would they ever be. Even if Alek was quite possibly in love with her, Deryn had made it clear a few times that she didn't feel the same way.

Alek continued brooding until he arrived at what was hopefully Deryn's home. He thanked Klopp and stepped into the recently begun storm. By the time he had reached the doorstep and rung the doorbell, Alek was almost entirely soaked.

After a few long moments, the door opened to reveal a short, round woman, framed by the welcoming light of the house. Even though she was slightly shorter than Alek, she managed to look down disapprovingly at him. "And what do you think you're doing here, lad?"

"I'm here to see Deryn."

"Oh, are you now?"

Alek nodded nervously. "Um, I'm Alek. Did Deryn by any chance… mention me?"

"I remember! You're Deryn's German boy!"

"Austrian, ac—"

"Come in. But stay on the rug. You're dripping wet. I'll go get Deryn."

The woman disappeared and Alek sighed and looked around. It was a quaint little home, small but warm and cozy. Alek was facing a hallway and a staircase. Deryn appeared at the top of the stairs. "Blisters, Alek! You're soaked!"

Alek flicked a drop of water from his sleeve. "Yes, I noticed."

"Wait a minute. I'll get you a towel."

Deryn disappeared from view, then after a few moments of clattering around, reappeared with a towel in her hand. She raced down the stairs and handed it to him. "Sorry you had to wait so long. Hope my ma didn't scare you too bad."

Alek stuffed his face into the towel, drying his hair off, secretly loving that it smelled just like her. "No, it's fine. I wasn't really waiting that long."

Deryn glanced out the window. "No wonder you're soaked! It's raining cats and dogs out there!"

Alek nodded. "That it is."

"Did you have any problems getting permission to come?"

"Nothing major. Mr. Volger just wanted to make sure I'd be careful." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Alek regretted them. If he had to explain what exactly he was told to be careful _about, _he might just die from embarrassment.

Luckily, she didn't question it, and just looked him from head to toe. "You're dry enough. Let's go." Deryn grabbed his arm, dragging him up the stairs.

Alek sighed. Did the Sharp family _ever_ take a moment to breathe?

Deryn led Alek to a door at the end of the hall. Once inside, Alek could immediately tell that this was Deryn's room. There were sketches pinned up all over the walls, and the ceiling was painted to look like the sky that Deryn loved so much. Besides a rather fluffy looking bed, there was a small desk and a black armchair that looked as if it had seen better days. It was all very Deryn-ish in general.

On the chair, a boy who looked to be about their age with blonde hair and brown eyes was lounging. "Hey. You're Alek?"

Alek nodded. "You're…" Alek struggled to remember the name Deryn had mentioned. "Newkirk, correct?"

The boy nodded too. "Aye that's me. Deryn's been talking about you _all_ week."

Deryn's cheeks turned pink. "Have not!"

"Oh, yes." Newkirk then said in a ridiculously high-pitched voice, "he's so handsome and clever! I just want to hug him, and kiss him and—"

"Newkirk, unless you shut up _right now, _I swear, I'll toss you out the bloody window," Deryn growled, face now entirely red.

Newkirk squeaked and hid his face with his hands. "Don't hurt me!"

Alek blinked, wondering if what Newkirk had said was true.

Deryn glared hard at him. "If you would keep your sodding gob shut, I wouldn't have to." Deryn turned to the door. "Come on. Let's go downstairs."

Newkirk chuckled and got to his feet, following Deryn out the door. He stopped to whisper to Alek, "She really does like you, though, even if those weren't her _exact _words."

"NEWKIRK!"

Newkirk rolled his eyes then trilled, "Coming, my dear!" With a wink at Alek, he left the room.

Alek stood there for a moment. Did she…did she _really_ like him?

"OI! ALEK! DID YOU GET LOST OR SOMETHING?"

Alek smiled. He truly hoped that she did.

Eventually, Alek found his way into the kitchen. Deryn appeared to be making popcorn. "Oh, hi, your princeliness. We're planning on watching another movie. That alright with you?"

"It's fine." This would be the second movie he'd be watching today! Generally, he would be bored by such things, but if Deryn was there, it was an entirely different matter.

Deryn pulled a bag of popcorn from the microwave, gingerly emptying it into a bowl. "Let's get to the living room before Newkirk blows something up."

"I heard that!" Newkirk shouted.

"You were meant to!" Deryn said, walking through a doorway to her left.

Alek followed, and was standing in a relatively small room with a television against a wall and a couch in the middle of the room. Newkirk was lazing in the center of the couch, his feet resting on a coffee table. Deryn went to stand in front of him. "Scooch over."

Newkirk raised an eyebrow, saying, "Why should I?"

"Because I want to sit with Alek without your fat bum in the way."

"Well, too bad. I don't want no lovey-dovey nonsense! I'd like to keep my dinner down, thank you very much."

"_My _house, _my_ rules, Eugene."

Newkirk sighed and slid over. "Just try to keep it rated 'G' you two."

Alek blushed a little. Now _Newkirk _too?!

Deryn pursed her lips and flicked him in the side of the head, flopping down on the far side of the couch. "You don't get any popcorn." She glanced at him over her shoulder. "Come and sit down."

Alek walked around and carefully sat down in the center of the couch.

"So," Deryn began. "What should we watch?"

"_THE AVENGERS!" _Newkirk shouted.

Deryn rolled her eyes. "I've already _seen _that!"

"Well, I haven't!"

Deryn turned to Alek. "What would _you _like to watch?"

"Ummm…" Alek didn't know any movies! "…What Newkirk said, I suppose."

Newkirk punched the air triumphantly. "YES!" Alek, you're the best!"

Deryn sighed. "Oh, fine."

It seemed that Alek was the only one who stayed awake during the entire movie. Newkirk had fallen asleep halfway through the movie, after drooling over the "Black Widow" for a while. Deryn had fallen asleep only half an hour ago. She had her legs over the arm of the couch, her back leaning up against Alek's shoulder, her head lolling to one side.

Once the screen had gone black, Alek nudged Deryn's shoulder. She woke with a start, sitting bolt upright. "Barking spiders!"

Alek sighed, immediately missing the soft warmth of her back pressing up against his arm.

Deryn rubbed at her eyes. "Did I fall asleep?"

Alek nodded, stretching his numb arm out. "Yes, about half an hour ago."

Deryn glanced out the window. "Blisters, It's really pouring out there!"

"Yes, it is."

Deryn jumped to her feet. "Let's go!"

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, daftie, we're going outside!"

"B—but it's raining!" Alek sputtered. She couldn't be serious!

Deryn simply gave him a grin. "Exactly!"

Soon, they were both out in the pouring rain, quickly becoming drenched. Alek sighed. The things he did for this girl.

Deryn laughed and spun around in a circle, face turned up to the sky, arms out. "Barking brilliant!"

Alek looked up at the sky and smiled. The downpour _was _rather beautiful in its own way, he supposed. The storm seemed to make Deryn look even lovelier. Her pale hair was pasted to the sharp angles of her face, and her eyes were glittering with happiness. Suddenly, her gaze turned solemn, the smile fading from her face. Barely audile over the clatter of the rain, she murmured, "Storms like these were my da's favorites. He would take me out to play in them and ma would yell at him for an hour about it in the morning." She smiled sadly and turned her eyes to the ground. "And then he would sneak me out later that afternoon to go flying."

Alek couldn't quite tell if she was crying, or if it was just the rain. He knew that he was. Of course, his father hadn't taking him out into the rain, but once or twice, his father had taken him out hunting, even if his mother didn't approve. Suddenly, Deryn had her arms wrapped tightly around him, her face buried in his chest, trembling slightly. Alek quickly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her tightly against him.

After a minute or so of standing there, wrapped in each other's embrace, Deryn took a step back, her arms remaining loosely around him. "Alek…I'm sorry. For your parents. It's just not barking fair."

Alek cupped her cheek with one hand and smiled. "I've discovered lately, that life's just not always fair."

Deryn looked into his eyes. "I need to tell you something. Over this past week—"

Alek closed the space between them and pressed his lips against hers in a kiss that made his head spin. Their lips were cold and their clothes were soaked and quite uncomfortable, but Alek didn't care.

Deryn pulled away after a moment, her eyes wide with wonder. "I suppose that pretty much sums up what I was planning on saying."

Alek laughed and reached down to take her hands. "I hoped it would."

"C'mon, let's get back inside. Who _knows _what Newkirk's gotten up to now."

**DALEK FOREVER! Ahem. Enough fangirling for now. Teehee, did ya notice how I did the first kiss in the rain thing, like in **_**Goliath? **_**I hope you liked it, and pleeeaaase review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Happy whatever-holiday-you-celebrate-at-this-time-of-year, readers! This'll be my last update of 2012, so HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Thank you a quadrillion-billion times for the reviews! I hope you all get lots of good presents. Here's the next chapter! Sorry to leave you on a bit of a cliff hanger here, but blame ChickWithThePurpleGuitar, because it was her idea. Be good and review or Tixx will run you down with a dolyak! (Guild Wars 2 reference. Just kidding though. I'm not in contact with Tixx. But review anyway!)**

**Disclaimer:**

**I don't own **_**Leviathan **_**but if I **_**do **_**find the rights to the series under my tree this year, I'll let you all know.**

Missing in Action

As it turned out, Newkirk was still asleep. Only now, half of him had fallen off of the couch, and his face was pressed against the floor. "Newkirk, the floor's not going to kiss you back," Deryn informed him, looking as if she was trying hard not to laugh.

Newkirk jerked awake, falling the rest of the way onto the floor. "IT'S NOT MY LLAMA!"

Deryn chuckled. "C'mon daftie. Get up."

Newkirk groaned. "Ugh, can't I just stay here?"

"Not unless you wanna wake up in the middle of the night with a sore neck." Deryn offered him a hand.

Newkirk ignored the hand and looked up at them, confused. "Why are you two so wet?"

"We were out in the rain," Alek said quietly.

_"Why?"_

Deryn shrugged. "'Cause we felt like it. Now come on. I'm not going to stand here and wait until you decide to drag your lazy bum upstairs."

"Fine, I'm going." Newkirk grabbed onto Deryn's hand and let her pull him onto his feet.

Alek yawned. It _was_ getting rather late, and unlike the other two, Alek hadn't taken a nap moments before. Deryn pulled Newkirk up the stairs, Alek following. She dropped him off in the corner of the room, then tossed a sleeping bag at Alek. "I'm going to get changed. You can set up your bed."

Alek unrolled the sleeping bag on the rug in the center of the room and laid out his belongings. Newkirk snorked in the corner. "Wha's going on?"

Alek sighed. "You're in bed, Newkirk."

"I _am? _It feels an awful lot like the floor."

"Just go back to sleep."

"Mmph. All right."

Alek smiled. Deryn had a good choice in friends.

Speaking of Deryn, she came back into the room, now wearing a pair of black shorts, (Relatively _short_ black shorts **(A/N: Well, short in Alek's opinion. So not short at all.)**) and a white tank-top. "Oh, um, Deryn…hi," Alek said lamely.

"Oi! Alek! Did you fall asleep or something?"

"Wha—what?" Alek was horrified. She was talking to him! He must have been staring at all the skin she was showing…

"I _said_ d'you want a blanket?"

Alek was too embarrassed to look at her again. "Um, sure."

Deryn grabbed a blanket off of her bed and tossed in at him. "Your towel from before is in the bathroom, if you wanna dry off or anything."

"Oh," Alek said. "Thank you." He grabbed his bag, then walked to the bathroom, drying himself off, changing into his night-clothes, and brushing his teeth.

By the time he had returned, Deryn had all the lights out, and was curled up on her bed, breathing slowly and deeply. As quietly as possible, Alek tip-toed to his sleeping bag, laying down, pulling the blanket up to his chin.

Deryn stirred slightly. "Wh…who's there?"

"It's just me," Alek said gently.

"Oh…good…good night, Alek."

Alek smiled up at the ceiling. "_Gute nacht, leibste_."

Alek was awoken by sun lancing into his room. Alek frowned and put an arm over his eyes. There was no window on the right wall of his room! So where was the light coming from?

Then, Alek remembered. He wasn't in _his _room, he was in Deryn's. Alek opened his eyes and sighed happily, at peace with the world. He was sleeping in a puddle of sunlight, Newkirk looked absolutely ridiculous, and last night, Alek had kissed the girl that he quite possibly loved.

Alek ran a hand through his hair, slowly sitting up. Deryn wasn't in her bed! Alek frowned. He couldn't hear anything out in the hallway that might signal her presence. She was probably just in the bathroom, or something like that. Alek sighed and lay down, calling himself a _dummkopf_ for panicking.

However, almost twenty minutes later, Deryn was still missing. Finally, years of fencing came in handy, and Alek was able to stand from his make-shift bed silently. He crept down the hallway, (after all, he didn't want to wake anyone up. The Sharp family didn't strike him as morning people) peeking into every room to seek her. Once he had searched the entire house, he came to the conclusion that, unless Deryn was invisible, she was not inside the house. Back in her room, Alek nudged Newkirk's shoulder with his foot. "Newkirk, wake up!"

"Sh…shaddup…"

Alek jostled the boy's shoulder again. "It's serious! Deryn's gone! As in not-in-the-house gone! Do you have any idea where she might be?"

"Dunno. Prolly doin' her hair or sumthin."

"Newkirk, would you try and think? Something could be wrong!"

Newkirk sat up and yawned, scratching his head. "Ugh, fine. Where'd you last see her?"

"In her bed, last night."

"Did you check there?"

"Yes," Alek said tensely. This was not helpful!

The boy frowned. "Did you check _under _her bed?"

"Why on earth would Deryn be—"

Suddenly, Alek saw someone standing in the doorway. Seeing the tall frame and blonde hair, Alek turned quickly, thinking that it was Deryn. Instead, it was Jaspert, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "What are you two dafties doing up so early? Some of us need our beauty sleep."

Alek ignored what was probably supposed to be a joke, shouting, "Deryn's gone!"

"Gone? What sort of gone?"

"The sort of gone where she left no sign as to where she was going, and she's not in the house!"

Jaspert's frown deepened. "You're not just pulling my leg, aye?"

Alek shook his head furiously. "No, sir. I'm entirely serious."

For some reason, Jaspert rolled his eyes. "Did you try _calling _her, princey boy?"

"Oh! Good idea!" Alek fumbled around for his phone. Once he had found it, he dialed Deryn's phone number as quickly as he could. Within a moment, Alek heard Deryn's ringtone from beside her bed.

He hung up immediately. "We've got to find her."

**Well…There she goes. I would just like to say one last time how much your comments mean to me. They are the best part of my day. So, from me and all of the crew of the **_**Leviathan, **_

**Alek: I hope you all have a wonderful season!**

**Deryn: Where are my cookies!? What? Oh…Do I have to? Ugh, fine. Have a nice Christmas. Now, where in blazes are my cookies!?**

**Volger: This is all godless nonsense.**

**Dr. Barlow: I wonder if I could actually fabricate a flying red-nosed reindeer…**

**Lilit: Hey, Deryn, look! Mistletoe!**

**Newkirk: Merry Christmas everyone! Now, do **_**I **_**get cookies? Aww…why not?**

**Me: Because Deryn already ate them all. Quit crying! *sigh* aaaaaanyway, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!**


	7. Chapter 7

***Appears in a puff of sparkly purple smoke* Hellooooooooo! I have returned! And with another chapter! Muchos gracias to all who reviewed, you made my Christmas special. I hope I portray being under the influence of sleeping drugs properly. T'was a little difficult, seeing as I have never actually experienced such things. I shan't rant on much more, because I hope that you've all been waiting for this chapter. I love you all and PLEEAAASE REVIEWIFY!**

**Disclaimer:**

**IDONOTOWN**_**LEVIATHAN**_**ORANYOFITSCHARACHTERS!**

Headaches and Helicopters

Deryn's head suddenly hit something cold and hard. Murmuring in pain, she reached up to rub at her head, but found her hands bound together somehow. Her head felt like it was filled with fluff, her thoughts muddled.

"Well, good morning, sunshine," a cruel voice said from above her.

With a bit of struggle, Deryn pulled her eyelids apart. Her vision was filled with fog, and wherever she was, it was not very well lit. Her mind scrambled to match the face she could see to a name. She thought of someone, but no. It couldn't be him. After a moment, Deryn realized it. "Alex." Her voice sounded quiet and far away even to her own ears. "Where am I?"

"You'll see soon enough, dearie."

Deryn fought the fogginess in her head and looked down at her hands. They were handcuffed together. "I…wanna go…home."

Alex's laughter hurt her ears. "Not quite yet. Just go back to sleep. You're very tired."

Deryn shook her head slowly. "No. Where's…Alek?"

"He'll be there when we land."

Everything was growing dark. "Go…home…"

The last thing Deryn heard before finally drifting off was a dark chuckle.

Someone kicked Deryn in the back. "Get up."

She groaned, in too much pain to move.

"I _said_ get up," the voice said again.

"…hurts…"

Something grabbed her hair, yanking her into a sitting position. "And next time, _do as I say."_

Deryn whimpered in pain.

Alex was kneeling in front of her, an annoyed expression etched onto his face. "Unless you want it to hurt more, stand up."

Deryn was close to tears. What was going on? Why was Alex here? Why _wasn't _Alek here? And why did every muscle in her body throb? "Can't…"

"Oh, Yes you can. Up."

Not wanting to get hit again, Deryn grabbed whatever she could find to help haul herself to her feet. "W—where am I?"

"On my private helicopter over the straights of Turkey."

As if punctuating his words, the floor gave a violent lurch and Deryn almost fell face-first into the floor if it weren't for Alex's hands steadying her. "What did you do to me? Why am I so dizzy?"

Alex shrugged. "Just a little sleeping drugs."

Deryn's eyes went wide. "Are you barking _mad?!"_

Alex grinned cruelly. "A mad genius, I would say. Maybe, my dear, if you had been a bit more agreeable, I wouldn't have _had_ to go to such extremes."

"Why'd you do this?"

"Captured you? If that's the case, then because Alek loves you. I'm using you as bait. A hostage, if you will."

"What are you going to do to Alek?" Deryn demanded.

Alex chuckled. "You'll just have to see."

"…so, where are we going?"

Alex glanced towards the front of the helicopter. "Well, in about thirty seconds, you'll be able to see for yourself."

Deryn blinked back tears. Since when was everything so barking _messed up_? With a slight thud, the helicopter touched down. Alex had re-handcuffed her hands behind her, and now he grabbed onto the cuffs, pushing her roughly towards the door of the helicopter. Deryn stumbled forward, and was promptly yanked back upright. Soon, she was out the door, eyes stinging from the sunlight. She was standing on a cliff on the outskirts of some sort of city. The streets bustled with both foot traffic and vehicle traffic. Deryn could just see a golden dome reaching above the other roofs on the far side of the city. For a moment, Deryn was almost _happy_ to be up on this cliff. She was closer to the sky then she had been in years, but still… "What _is _this place?"

Alex spread his arms out, announcing, "Welcome to Istanbul!"

Deryn glanced around. There was a break in the wall to the right, only about a hundred meters away. If only… Deryn dropped to her knees. Alex's grip slipped from her handcuffs and Deryn straightened back up, making a mad dash for the gate. Suddenly, she was shoved forward. She hit the ground hard and someone knelt down onto her back, pressing her face into the gravel. "Nice try, dear. But you're not going to get away that easily."

"I might as well try," Deryn hissed.

Alex chuckled then stood, pulling her to her feet. "I admit, you've got spirit." Suddenly, she could feel his breath directly behind his ear, his voice whispering, "But try anything like that again, and I'll hit you so hard that you won't see clearly for days."

Deryn swallowed. Her head was already hurting enough!

"Now come along." Alex walked her towards the huge mansion doors, past the plethora of guards posted outside, and through the wide double doors.

Inside, it was absolutely magnificent. There was a grand staircase that stretched out in front of them, wide enough to fit four cars side-by-side and had deep mahogany rails with a luxurious red carpet. There was a doorway on either side and the floor was a lovely marble. Speaking of the floor, Alex dropped her handcuffs and Deryn dropped to the ground, her legs too tired to hold her up.

"MADALINE!" Alex yelled.

Deryn heard the pattering of feet at the top of the staircase as Alex knelt down behind her, fiddling with her handcuffs. Soon, a young girl of probably six appeared. She had long, curly hair the same reddish-brown as Alex (and Alek, although she'd rather not think of him right now) and their dark green eyes. She was wearing a fancy, bright pink dress that had enough ruffles to drown in. "_ALEX! _YOU'RE BACK!"

"Yes, sister." _Sister?_ "Come and see the new dolly I got you."

Madaline gasped and ran down the stairs. "Oh!" Her smile faltered. "It's not very pretty. And what's wrong with its hair?"

To say that Deryn was offended would be an extreme understatement. First of all, she was being given away to some creepy little girl, secondly, said little girl was calling her "it" and lastly, she had been called _ugly!_

Alex sighed. "Maybe you can find her a wig. And I'm sorry she's not as pretty as your last one."

_Last one?_ So, Deryn wasn't the first of this girl's "dollies?" And if so, what in blazes happened to the others?

Madaline shrugged. "Oh, well." She grabbed onto Deryn's now free hand. "Let's go, dolly! Thank you, Alex!"

Alex just smiled cruelly before Deryn was dragged up that stairs.

"I am _not_ wearing that."

Madaline scrunched up her eyebrows. "You have to!"

"Says who?"

The dress in question was very similar to the one Madaline herself was wearing, only Deryn's size, and paired with a barking _corset! _What was it, the twentieth century!? Even if the dress hadn't been, absolutely disgusting, Deryn still wouldn't have wanted to change out of her clothes from the previous night. It was a little reminder of Alek being a daft ninny and staring at her, practically drooling because of the amount of skin she was showing. Despite herself, Deryn found herself smiling.

"Says _me!"_

Deryn sighed and sat down on the bed next to the dress. "Listen, lass. You may _think _I'm just a dolly, but I'm really just a girl like you."

"No you're not! You're different! Bigger!"

Deryn laughed. "Aye, that'd be because I'm more grown up. And I don't want to wear a dress."

Madaline looked about to start crying. "B—but you _have_ to! It's pretty!"

Deryn crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Oh, _fine_. But I'm keeping what I'm wearing on underneath."

"You can't—"

A tired-looking maid walked in, a duster in hand. "Madaline, let the girl wear what she wants."

Madaline crossed her arms too. "_Okay. _Miss Anna, put the corset on her."

Miss Anna gave Deryn a sympathetic look before lifting the corset off of the bed. "Arms up."

Deryn lifted her arms up over her head and Miss Anna slid the corset over her arms and down around her waist. "Hold onto the bed post." Deryn did as she was told and Miss Anna yanked hard on the laces, cinching it tight around her. Deryn gasped. Blisters, that _hurt!_

Madaline inspected her. "Tighter."

Miss Anna pulled the laces a little bit tighter then tied them off. "I think that's good enough."

"Not tight enough!"

"Yes, it is."

Deryn turned and smiled gratefully at Miss Anna. Sure, she could barely breathe, but if the woman had followed Madaline's orders, Deryn might just have died.

"You're the worst dolly _ever!_" Madaline screeched, tears in her eyes. "Get out, Miss Anna!"

Miss Anna curtsied and backed out of the room. Madaline threw herself down onto her bed, her screeching sobs echoing off of the walls. After a moment, Deryn sat on the edge of the bed, gently rubbing Madaline's back. "Calm down, lassie."

Madaline screamed, "I hate you!"

"I can say the same," Deryn grumbled, then said louder, "I know you're upset. Why don't you just take a deep breath or two and talk to me?"

"I don't wanna!"

Deryn sighed. Blisters, this girl had a temper! "I know, I know. Would you… umm…would you like me to sing for you?"

After a moment of silence, Madaline said quietly, "yes."

Deryn blinked. She hadn't expected Madaline to listen to her! But now that she was committed, "_Your hills and dales, and flowery vales, that lie near the Moorlough Shore."_

Madaline stilled, so Deryn kept singing. "_Your vines that blow by Borden's Grove, will I ever see you more? Where the primrose grows, and the violets glow, where the trout and salmon play."_

Now Madaline had wrapped her arms around Deryn, her head buried in Deryn's side. "_With my line and hook, delight I took, to spend my youthful days."_

When Deryn didn't continue, Madaline looked up. "Keep going."

"I'm afraid that's all I know." Of course, that was a dead lie, but Deryn was tired of singing.

She made a pouty-face. "Darn. What was it about?"

"It was about my old home." Deryn squeezed her eyes shut as all the painful memories welled up inside her. Home contained too many bits and pieces of Da, **((A/N: Well, not literally…)) **so the whole family had packed up and moved to London.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Deryn raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You know, a boyfriend!"

Deryn chuckled. "Not exactly."

"So you like someone!"

"I like a lot of people."

Madaline huffed. "No, you _like _like him!"

Suddenly, she burst out laughing. "You don't know the half of it!"

The girl gave her a very serious look. "Matters of the heart are nothing to laugh about, dolly."

"Deryn," she corrected. "My name's Deryn."

_"Really?"_

"Aye, but enough about me. Do you _like _like anyone?"

Madaline stared down at the bed, a blush creeping across her face. "Well, there was this one boy last year at the fair…"

Deryn smiled. She was reminded of she and Newkirk when they were only a little older than Madaline herself. "Is he cute?"

"Yup! But he thinks girls are yucky!"

Thinking back on the previous night's adventure, Deryn smiled and said, "Aye, it won't always be like that."

"Do you know that 'cuz of _your _boyfriend?"

"I suppose."

**((A/N: Note that the next two paragraphs were not originally part of the story. I wrote them in there to make my two annoying little cousins go away. You can just ignore it. Also, Bob and Joe are not their real names.))**

"Do you have any annoying little cousins?"

"Why yes, I do. Their names are Bob and Joe and they are the most annoying cousins in the world."

"Ooh, do you have any dates soon? I could make you all pretty."

"Sadly, I don't know if I'll ever see him again. Your brother's sort of got me trapped here."

Madaline's eyes widened. "_Why?"_

"I'm not sure," sighed Deryn. "He won't tell me."

Madaline crossed her arms, eyebrows furrowing. "Then I'll make him let you go!"

Deryn smiled sadly. "Aye, that'd be nice."

**Done! I have introduced you to even more OC's in this chapter. I hope you don't hate them. You know, unless they're meant to be evil. Also, in case you didn't catch that, there was mention of Deryn and Newkirk as a couple in there. So, just if you were questioning that, yes, they did date for some time when they were little. A special shout-out to my dearest friend ChickWithThePurpleGuitar for posting all of these chapters for me and for generally being a great friend! Continue being awesome, peoples and ADIOS!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hiya everybody! First of all, I would like to thank you all greatly for the reviews. Your kind words brighten up my day greatly. Sheesh. That sounded lame. In any case, I love them very muchly. I COME BEARING THE NEXT CHAPTER! Be it known that I have no experience in being drunk, and thus have no idea how it feels or what a hangover feels like. (I contemplated asking my history teacher, then decided against it. Probably best.) Enjoy, and I beg of you, SAY SOMETHING TO ME! (Preferably in the form of a review, but hey, if you wanna try telepathy, have at it.)**

**El Disclaimerio:**

**I may speak Spanish brilliantly (sarcasm) but I do not own **_**Leviathan!**_

Potatoes and Punch

Deryn sat up stiffly in her seat, grimacing. From across the table, Alex smirked and looked to be suppressing laughter. "I must say, Miss Sharp, that is a very interesting look on you."

Deryn glared at him. Madaline had "convinced" (more like forced) Deryn to wear the dress and had even pinned a blonde wig to her head.

Beside her, Madaline grinned. "I know! Isn't she pretty?"

"Lovely. Now," Alex snapped his fingers. "Bring out dinner."

Deryn's eyes widened as a maid pushed a cart bearing multiple silver platters of food through the dining hall doors. Barking spiders, how many maids did this family _have_?  
Alex pointed down at the center of the table. "Put it down." As soon as she had done as she was told, Alex dismissed the maid.

The steak and mashed potatoes that had been placed on the table looked and smelled delicious, and Deryn found her mouth watering. Alex reached forward and placed a piece of steak on Madaline's plate, then served himself. He was about to put some food on Deryn's plate but she crossed her arms and shook her head, despite her stomach's protests. "I don't want any. I don't know what you've done to it."

Alex laughed. "You're a clever one. But, I don't want you to starve. Take mine." He reached over the table, putting his own plate in front of her.

Of course, there was still a possibility that Alex had done something to the food, but Deryn was too hungry to care.

At the end of the meal, Alex sent Madaline to bed, telling her that he wanted to talk to Deryn alone. After the girl had (somewhat reluctantly) left, Alex brought out a bowl of punch. It tasted a little funny, but Deryn drank it anyway. Her head was starting to feel fuzzy, not that it hindered her drinking. Once Deryn had lost count of the number of glasses she'd had, Alek came around the table, offering her a hand. "Would you like to dance?"

Deryn nodded slowly, then used his offered hand to pull herself to her feet. Alek swirled her into the open space beside the table. Deryn had already felt a wee bit dizzy, so when Alek started spinning her, she fell into his arms, overflowing with giggles. Alek just smiled down at her, lifting her back onto her feet to waltz to a few more songs. They sat back down in the lounge chairs situated to the left, and Deryn continued to drink. Suddenly, Alek asked, "Deryn, how close are your friends to you?"

Deryn giggled. "What you talkin' about, Aaaaalek? You know all my friends!"

Alek blinked in surprise, but quickly hid his shock. "Then tell me again."

"Well," Deryn paused, trying to organize her muddled thoughts. "They like me."

"How much would they do for you?"

"A lot, I think. But I would do anything for…for them. Especially you, Alek." She leaned over so that she was half laying on him, looking up at his face. "I looooove you!"

Alek looked down at her, a slightly worried expression on his face and she took the opportunity to kiss him (somewhat sloppily) on the lips.

Alek sat stiffly, not returning her kiss, until Deryn pulled away for a breath of air and he gently pushed her away. Deryn frowned. "Don't you wanna kiss me?"

Alek just sighed. "Not right now. Come on." Deryn giggled as Alek pulled her up onto her feet. She noticed that he was blushing slightly and looked rather uncomfortable.

"Where you taking me?""

"To your bedroom. I believe it's quite time for you to go to sleep."

"No!" Deryn hugged him, laying all of her weight onto him. "I wanna stay up with you and kiss some more!"

Alek shook his head. "I'll help you. Let's go."

He dragged her awkwardly by the arms up the stairs, depositing her in front of her bedroom door. "Goodnight." His abashed expression was replaced by a wicked grin. "And thanks for the information!"

Once he was gone, Deryn shivered. Since when had Alek gotten so _creepy?_

Deryn awoke to a feeling akin to having your brain ripped out off your head through your ears, chopped into mincemeat, stuffed back into your head with a herd of angry monkeys, then being hit in the head with a baseball bat made of solid gold. She groaned and slowly lifted a hand to her pounding head. Blisters, what _happened? _ Someone knocked on the door, only aggravating Deryn's head more. She clamped her hands tightly over her ears and groaned.

"Good morning, Deryn!" a cheerful and loud voice chirped.

"Go away," Deryn murmured

Someone shook her shoulder. "Wake up!"

Deryn slowly opened her eyes to glare at the grinning face of Madaline. "_What?"_

"Good! You're awake!"

Deryn squeezed her eyes back closed. "Madaline, please just go away. I have a terrible headache."

"I just wanna ask you a couple questions."

Deryn glared at her for a moment then sighed, slowly sliding herself into a sitting position. "What?"

Madaline hopped up onto her bed. "Why'd you do all of that last night?"

Deryn frowned. "Do all of what?" All she did last night (to her memory) was eat dinner!

"You drank a bunch of that punch Alex gave you and turned all silly!"

Deryn's heart sank. Now she remembered the punch. And if she had turned "all silly" as Madaline had said…the sodding idiot must have spiked the punch! And that would explain the headache. "Blistering _idiot_!" Deryn spat then winced as the pain in her head intensified.

"What?"

"Your brother put something in that punch that turned me all silly. What sort of things did I do?"

Madaline thought for a moment. "Well, first you talked a little and then you danced around. Who's Alek?"

"He's…wait. Where'd you get that name?"

"That's what you started calling Alex."

Deryn's eyes widened. She must have gotten them confused in her tipsy state! "He's a…friend."

"Really? A friend?" Madaline giggled. "Because then you started kissing him!"

Deryn put a hand to her mouth, feeling bile rise in her throat. She had _kissed_ that slug?

"You all right?"

"Aye," Deryn said, swallowing hard. "Just a little grossed out. We didn't like…do anything…else…along those lines, right?" If something like…like _that _had happened, Deryn would undoubtedly puke.

Madaline shook her head and Deryn nearly passed out from relief. "Nope. He just dragged you up to your bedroom door.

Deryn shivered. Why in blazes did Alex want her drunk anyway? "Did I tell him anything?"

"Just that your friends would do anything for you."

Deryn froze. If he did _anything _to her loved ones, she would…

…what _could _she do? She couldn't exactly escape herself, and she doubted that she could persuade Alex into having a change of heart. As much as she hated to admit it, Deryn Sharp was well and truly stuck.

**And there you have it. Just a note, next update I shall be answering any questions you peoples have asked, so if you're curious about anything, ask away. As per request/demand, here's a shout out to my good friend who shall not be named: (And no, not talking about Voldemort) *Insert random gibberish here* **

**Thank you for taking the time to read this humble story. It means a lot to me.**

**Note from ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: Sorry this took so long to get updated, guys. I had Bram's flashdrive for like a week but I was lazy. Sorry!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello, all! Sorry for the delay there, life suddenly got busy, not that that should be an appropriate excuse. The reviews I received were absolutely lovely. Alright, I'll be doing an insanely long A/N at the end, so ONWARD!**

Company and Clues

Alek sat on Deryn's bed, tugging nervously at his mussed hair. "What are we supposed to do now?"

Jaspert temporarily stopped his pacing to throw his hands up in the air. "How should I know? I've never had my baby sister kidnapped before!"

"Oh, calm down, both of you."

Alek glared at Newkirk, who was simply lounging in his chair. "How can you be so relaxed when Deryn could be suffering, or—or _dying?" _**((A/N: Ugh, Alek. You're such a drama llama.))**

In response to Alek's panic, the boy only snorted. "I've known Deryn longer than you, princey. She'll be fine."

"Any ideas as to who did it?" Jaspert asked, still pacing.

Alek shook his head. "It could have been anyone!"

Suddenly, he spotted a scrap of paper on Deryn's pillow. With Alex's handwriting. Alek snatched it up. "I see you've found your little girlfriend missing, cousin. I'm sure you can guess who has taken her, and I'm also sure that you want her back. Read carefully cousin. _To find what you've lost, find what it has lost. _Have fun, I shall see you…in the future." Alek's stomach twisted with dread. What did Alex want with Deryn?

Jaspert grabbed the note from him to examine it more closely. "What in _blazes?"_

"My cousin," Alek sighed. "It was my cousin."

Alek received a few odd looks, so he tried to explain. "He's always been a little—how do I phrase it—…evil. I don't know what he wants her for, but whatever it is, I can assure you that it's not good."

Jaspert stared at him for a moment before shaking his head in amazement and tossing the note in Newkirk's general direction. "Barking royalty. Do you know where he might've taken her?"

Newkirk, who had been studying the note in silence, suddenly spoke. "I think I might know who this is talking about."

Alek and Jaspert's attention snapped over to him. "Who?"

Newkirk squeezed his eyes shut and the note crumpled up in his hand. "I _really _don't want it to be him, but he's the only one I can think of. Does anyone know where Fitzroy lives?"

The doorbell rang and moments later, it was opened by Fitzroy. Who promptly swore at them and slammed it in their faces.

Newkirk sighed and banged a fist against the wood. "Oi, let us in! It's an emergency!"

"Deal with your own problems!"

"It's Deryn," Alek hissed desperately. "She's in danger!"

There was a slight pause then a sigh and Fitzroy once again poked his head through the door. "What's going on?"

"My cousin kidnapped her," Alek explained quickly. "And we've been given reason to believe that you might be able to help us get her back."

Fitzroy narrowed his eyes and tried to shut the door on them. "You're mad."

Jaspert stuck his foot out to prevent the door from shutting. "Fitzroy, this is one thing I would never joke about. Deryn's really gone."

Fitzroy regarded them with narrowed eyes before relenting. "Come in."

He ushered them into the living room. "Now, explain."

Alek shook his head. "We're not quite sure. All we know is that this morning, Deryn was missing and there was a note left behind that was written in my cousin's handwriting. It gave us a clue, and we think you might be able to help us. So, have you seen anything odd lately? Found any strange notes? Heard anything out of the ordinary?"

The boy sighed and shook his head. "No, nothing."

Jaspert swore extravagantly. "Then how in blazes are we supposed to find her!?"

"Wait," Fitzroy held up a hand to silence him. "Does this cousin own a private helicopter that he might have used to ship Deryn out of the country?"

"Yes! I remember him bragging about it a few months ago!"

"My dad works the night shifts at a small privately owned air strip. They get a lot of private air traffic. And this morning, he was complaining about some private helicopter that took off late last night!"

Newkirk grabbed the boy by his shoulders. "I bet you ten quid that's him!"

Fitzroy smiled briefly. "I'll try and find out what I can. Now get out before you wake my dad up. I don't want him asking any questions."

Once again, Alek found himself sitting on Deryn's bed, pulling at his hair. "What if he never calls? What if he didn't bother looking at the records? Or what if he was lying about the helicopter in the first place?"

Newkirk sighed. "Calm down. Fitzroy may be a dead idiot, but he'll pull through for this."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because he cares enough for Deryn to do this for her."

Alek gave him a dubious look. "He didn't seem to care for her last time they talked."

"That's what he _wants _you to think."

Alek opened his mouth to ask another question, but Newkirk cut him off. "You know, I'll have to explain it another time. It's complicated. You'd have had to be there for everything."

The doorbell rang and Newkirk jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the door. "You can get that."

Alek stood and rolled his eyes. "How generous."

Newkirk smirked at him, and Alek made his way to the door. It opened, revealing a beautiful girl, of about seventeen or eighteen, with tan skin, dark eyes, and long dark braided hair. She had a suitcase in one hand and an annoyed expression on her face.

"Hello," She said. "Is Deryn here?"

**I'd love to hear who you think that is. (Yeah, It's kinda obvious but…) Anywho, now we have Q & A WITH ANIME CONVENTION PANEL STYLE A! Please enjoy, this took me forever. And yes, I just wrote down anything with a question mark. If you don't care about this, then feel free to skip over it, just know that I will cry a little. Either way, I love you all and R&R!**

**Q: **_**I don't know what it is about modern AU Deryn and Converse sneakers, but they just go together, don't they?**_

**A: Deryn:**__**I like to think so.**

**Alek: They look pretty on you, Deryn!**

**Jaspert: WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?**

**Me: Jazzy, sit.**

**Q: **_**One question though, what's Alek wearing now?**_

**A: Alek: Plaid! I like plaid!**

**Deryn: Ugh, I hate plaid.**

**Alek: Y-you do?!**

**Q: **_**How are you?**_

**A: Me: Oh, wonderful, thank you for asking.**

**Q: **_**The awesomeness is just…above sea level? Mountain level? Atmosphere level?**_

**A: Me: Sorry, my awesomeness meter broke a while ago…**

**Alex: You need to get your brain checked.**

**Q: **_**How is it possible to put so much awesomeness in one chapter?**_

**A: Me: Like I said, my awesomeness meter is broken, so I was never sure quite how much awesomeness was going into each chapter.**

**Fitzroy: Ah, so humble.**

**Q: **_**Where are Alek's men like Hoffman or Volger?**_

**A: Alek's men minus Volger: Here we aaare!**

**Volger: Why do you need to know?**

**Me: Oh, quit being mean Mr. Mustache. They'll all be here soon.**

**Q: **_**Why is Fitzroy so mean?**_

**A: Fitzroy: Oh, **_**I'm **_**the mean one here!?**

**Me: Well yeah, kinda. Don't worry. I'll explain you soon.**

**Q: **_**Why is Alex evil exactly?**_

**A: Alex: Oh, all will be explained…trust me my pretties…**

**Q: **_**Deryn where did you go?!**_

**A: Deryn: I would love to know myself.**

**Q: **_**Where the crap could she go?!**_

**A: Me: See above.**

**Q: **_**WHAT'S GUNNA HAPPEN?!**_

**A: Me: They're all gonna die. Wait, *Spoiler Alert***

**Newkrik: WE ARE!?**

**Q: **_**Was it Alex? Or Fitzroy?**_

**A: Alex and Fitzroy: Heheheheh…**

**Me: If you don't know this yet…then you might wanna re-read the last few chapters.**

**Q: **_**Where'd you go?**_

**A: Now **_**that **_**is something I wish I knew. Anybody got any ideas?**

**Deryn: No wonder this story is so messed up…**

**Me: HEY!**

**Q: **_**What are the motives behind Alex?**_

**A: Alex: MY motives, MY secrets.**

**Q: **_**WHAT DO YOU MEAN, DERYN AND MEWKRIK DATED?!**_

**A: Deryn: Sad to say we did. And I regret it every day of my life.**

**Newkirk: Why is that so bad!? **

**Me: Well, when they were little, Deryn and **_**Newkirk **_**dated, but I'd love to hear more about this mysterious Mewkrik. Enlighten me.**

**Q: **_**Y u so bad Alex?**_

**A: Alex: *Evil grin***

**Q: **_**Why did you keep the part about your cousins?**_

**A: Me: Good question. I wish I knew.**

**Alex: Seriously, I will PAY for you to go get your brain checked.**

**Q: **_**New chapter please?**_

**A: Here you gooooooo!**

**Q: **_**what is deryns number?**_

**A: Deryn: Well, I'm not sure if I should be flattered or really creeped out that you want to know.**

**Alek: Deryn, I read about these sort of people! Don't tell her/him!**

**Deryn: *Facepalm***

**Q: **_**Did you know in the book lillit was actually supposed to be bisexual?**_

**A: Lilit: Well, **_**I **_**knew, of course. I don't know about Bram. She's kinda stupid, in case you never noticed.**

**Q: **_**Pretty please?**_

**Alek: Oh, I'd love to! Wait, what am I doing?**

**Q: **_**If Alex is Alek's cousin, then wouldn't Madaline know who he is?**_

**A: Alek: Yeah, anyway!**

**Madaline: I even recognize him later in the story!**

**Me: Yes. Yes she would know. WHY MUST YOU POINT OUT MY FLAWS?!**

**Alex: Yeah, guys. There are so many that you'll kill yourself if you try to point them **_**all **_**out.**

**Me: Aw, thanks Alex!**

**Deryn: That was an...insult you know…**

**Me: AH WELL, nuff o' that nonsense. Thanks for the reviews, my lovely reviewers! You should be happy to know that they fuel this wacky brain of mine! Alright, see ya'll soon!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Um…hey. First of all, I would like to apologize greatly for the long delay. Life suddenly got really busy really fast. I would like to especially thank all who reviewed my story. It only takes you a few moments of time to type a quick review, but it means more to me than you could ever imagine. Alright, well here you go. Sorry it's so short-like. Please enjoy!**

"Well, not right now. May I ask who you are?"

"Lilit." The girl offered no last name. "Where is she?"

"Ah…we're not exactly sure. She…she sort of got kidnapped."

Lilit's eyes widened fractionally. "Are you serious?"

Alek nodded. "Quite."

Lilit pushed past him into the house, without even bothering to ask permission. "I don't suppose _Jaspert_ was kidnapped too?"

Alek shook his head. "He's safe, but not here right now. Why are you here?"

"I'm Deryn's friend. I found a note that said she was in danger and came here immediately."

"Did you come from very far away?" Alek asked, glancing at the suitcase.

"Turkey."

_"Turkey?" _When Lilit nodded, Alek asked, "Isn't that a bit…far away?"

Lilit shrugged. "Only a few hours by plane."

Alek's eyes widened even more. "You took a _plane?"_

"Of course. I wasn't exactly going to _walk."_

"…So, you woke up, found the note and hopped onto a plane?"

Lilit nodded. "That would be correct."

Alek shook his head in amazement. "Well maybe you can help us find her."

"Oi!" Newkirk called. "Where'd you go?"

"We have a visitor," Alek shouted back.

Newkirk came out of Deryn's room and upon seeing Lilit, leaned against the wall, putting his hands in his pockets. "Hey there, beautiful."

Lilit rolled her eyes. "Good morning, Newkirk."

Alek blinked in surprise. "You two know each other?"

"Of course," Lilit said matter-of-factly. "Although, sometimes I _wish_ I didn't know him."

Newkirk laughed fakely. "You are so funny!"

Lilit glared at him. "Just stop it. This is getting creepy."

Newkirk gave her a wink that ended up looking more like a demented blink. "You know you love me."

"I really don't. Now, what's going on with Deryn?"

"Let's sit down," Alek said, beginning his way to Deryn's room.

Once they were seated, Alek began. "Well, to state it simply: My evil, possibly psychopathic cousin kidnapped her."

Lilit raised an eyebrow. "You have an evil cousin?"

"I…" Alek sighed. "Yes."

Lilit didn't dwell on that any longer. "Any idea where he took her?"

"No clue, as of now. Someone who might have some information should be calling soon."

Perfectly on queue, Newkirk's phone rang.

"Who is it?" Alek asked.

"It's Fitzroy! I'll put him on speaker! Hello?"

Fitzroy's voice came over the phone. _"Hey."_

"Did you find anything out?" Alek interjected.

_"I checked the records, but the owner and destination of the helicopter were classified."_

Alek's heart sank. "Oh, um, thanks for checking, I suppose."

_"But wait. I asked around a bit, checked some other records, and found some stuff out. The helicopter's tank could only hold enough fuel for 2525 kilometers, and they set off south-east."_

Lilit quickly pulled a map and a ruler out of her bag and after a moment, she had drawn a center being around Glasgow. She pointed at it with the eraser of her pencil. "This is where he could have gone on a single tank of gas, and this…" she divided the circle into quarters and pointed to one of the sections. "And this is the direction he headed off in."

Alek inspected the various cities in that quarter, looking for a place where Alex may have thought to hide. Then he found it. Alek murmured, "Mmm, Constantinople."

**YEAH! TO CONSTANTINOPLE! And oh, here I sorta ignored the laws of physics. Let's just pretend that all that geography and mileage and stuff made sense, kay? Well, thanks so much for reading. I hope all you lovely readers/reviewers haven't forgotten about this story quite yet!**


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